Ottoman clothing
In this period men wore outer clothing like the 'mintan' (a vest or short jacket), 'zıbın', 'şalvar' (trousers), 'kuşak' (sash), 'potur', entari or kaftan (long robe), 'kalpak', 'sarık' on the head, and 'çarık', çizme (boots), 'çedik', or 'Yemeni' on the feet.
Women's everyday wear was şalvar (trousers), a gömlek (chemise) that came down to mid-calf or ankle, a short, fitted jacket called a zıbın, and a sash or belt tied at or just below the waist.
For formal occasions, such as visiting friends, the woman added an entari or kaftan, a long robe that was cut like the zıbın apart from the length.
However, when a woman left the house, she covered her clothes with a ferace, a dark, modestly cut robe that buttoned all the way to the throat.
[2] Many factors contributed to changes in Ottoman women's garments, including the cost of materials and firmans, or royal declarations.
As more changes were made to women's clothing, yashmaks and feraces were seen less as garments to cover the body, and more as decorative and ornamental styles.
Around World War I, Turkish women began wearing headscarves tied below the chin instead of the carsaf, a robe-like dress that covered the whole body and head except for the eyes.
In the period of Abdul Hamid II, the 'ferace' (a concealing outer robe shaped like a modestly cut version of the indoor dress) was replaced by 'çarşaf' of different styles.
A common item worn by both was the şalvar, a voluminous undergarment in white fabric shaped like what is today called "harem pants".
[7] These female travelers often gained an intimate view of Ottoman culture, since as women, they had easier access to the Muslim elite harems than did men.
[11] As the Ottoman Empire came into being, the layering of garments would distinguish one's gender, class, or rank within particular communities, while also displaying many sumptuous fabrics, thus signaling one's wealth and status.
In Islamic art, layering different patterns represents a spiritual metaphor of the divine order that seems to be incomprehensible, but is actually planned and meaningful.
It was of purple cloth, straight to her shape, and thick-set on each side, down to her feet, and round the sleeves, with pearls of the best water, of the same size as their buttons commonly are.
"[13] The common clothing styles prevailing in the mid 19th century imposed by religious reasons entered a transformation phase in the Republican period.
In this period the 'şapka' and the following 'kılık kıyafet' reform being realized with the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Kastamonu in 1925 had a full impact in Istanbul.
Modern Turkish designers such as Rıfat Özbek, Cemil İpekçi, Vural Gökçaylı, Yıldırım Mayruk, Sadık Kızılağaç, Hakan Elyaban, and Bahar Korçan draw inspiration from historical Ottoman designs, and Ottoman or Ottoman-inspired patterns are important to the Turkish textile industry.
